James cheesed off with McClaren

David James last night revealed his frustration at the way he and Scott Carson were treated by the former England manager, Steve McClaren, claiming all he got was "a handshake and a cheese roll".

The 37-year-old Portsmouth goalkeeper won his 35th cap as a second-half substitute against Germany in August, his only appearance during McClaren's 18-month reign, and was perplexed that Carson was not offered a chance to impress before his ill-starred display against Croatia.

"It was very frustrating for me under Mr McClaren because I played half a game," said James. "Going from No2 keeper to No3 keeper suggested I obviously wasn't the favourite. I wasn't unhappy with my form for my club and wasn't training badly for England.

"But somewhere down the line something didn't fit. I didn't have a problem with Scotty playing against Croatia, but all I got was a handshake and a cheese roll.

"Scotty Carson should have been blooded earlier than he was, but some wise person though it more important to win the European Under-21 tournament.

"I really enjoyed playing under Sven-Goran Eriksson. He wasn't the most talkative guy and looked a bit like Mr Burns out of The Simpsons but he was fantastic: straight, honest and organised."

James retains international ambitions under Fabio Capello. "I always want to be involved with England and wouldn't retire from it," he added.